


Fallout 76: Personal Files

by Band_G33k



Category: Fallout 76
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-26
Updated: 2020-03-20
Packaged: 2020-05-20 08:39:25
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 13
Words: 12,517
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19373152
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Band_G33k/pseuds/Band_G33k
Summary: A story that follows my Fallout 76 character on his adventures through the wasteland.





	1. Brian Locklear

Brian Locklear

Born: October 7th 2049

Age: 48

Appearance: A little stocky but still muscular

Hair color: Black with a little gray mixed in

Eye color: blue

Strength: 11

Perception: 6

Endurance: 6

Charisma: 3

Intelligence: 5

Agility: 4

Luck: 10

Backstory: His mother Maria moved from her home in Russia to be with His father Anthony in Anchorage, Alaska. In October of 2049 Brian was born at a hospital in Anchorage. He lived in Anchorage until 2066 when the battle for Anchorage took place. He moved from Anchorage, Alaska to Seatle, Washington. Finding himself homeless and out of work. He ventures east to look for work. A year long track across country looking for work landed him in West Virginia. He was offered a job by a Vault-Tech representative to work on the construction team for the local vault. He was able to get a house near the vault. In this town he met Sarah, the woman who would go on to be his wife. They get married on December 20th 2068. They have a son a year later in March of 2069. His name is Joseph. The Vault debuts in 2076 to celebrate America's Tercentenerary. The construction crew along with respected members of society in West Virginia were granted entry. 500 residents in total. That fatefull day came. October of 2077, the news of nuclear detonation in New York and Pennsylvania had come to the residents of Vault 76. They rush to take their place in the vault. Brian stands in the doorway ushering people in and waiting for his family. The vault door starts to close as a detonation is seen in the distance. People rush in faster. Brian sees his family and he calls to them to hurry. The blast gets closer and just before his family can get passed the door. The giant gear shaped door thunders shut, leaving Sarah and Joseph outside to become petrified corpses. Brian spends the next 20 years of his life in solitude and grief in the concrete walls of Vault 76. It is now the year 2097 the doors open for the vault dwellers to be let out to reclaim and rebuild. Our adventurer steps out past the petrified corpses of his family stopping again to grieve for a moment before going on to the world that awaits him.


	2. Chapter 1

Brian's POV

It's been a few days since I stepped out of the vault. The landscape I once knew like the back of my hand has changed so much. But I still must press on. I've seen no one for the passed few days. This place seems so, barren. There are barely any good resources, and most of the animals have changed, I'm guessing because of a 20 year radiation bath. There is still some levels of radiation out here, but none that will be lethal right now.

In the distance, I see a structure. It looks like a small shack with some plants growing around it. I decide to go towards it since, it is getting dark, and it looks deserted. As I get closer, I see a light coming from inside the shack. There are some lit candles inside there, meaning there are, or have been people here. I dont know why, but it fills me with hope knowing that I'm not the only one who found a way to survive the nuclear fire.

As soon as I get close, a man with a sawed-off shotgun comes out. "Hold it right there friend. That's far enough."

I put my hands up and I say, "I'm sorry sir. I was just looking for some shelter for the night."

He says, "Well, you should probably move on. We don't need anybody coming up here stirring up trouble."

I say, "Please sir. I'm not looking to cause trouble. I just need some place to spend the night. I'll even sleep on the floor."

A woman pops up from inside the house. "Come on John. Are you saying we can't let the man just spend the night?"

John looks at the woman and says, "Abigail, we dont know this man. What if he..."

John is interrupted by the sound of cars coming to a halt behind me. Out of these cars come men in armor seemingly made out of spare parts. I back towards the house when I see the mounted turrets on the back of two of the trucks. I go to pull my gun and John stops me. "If you try that, they'll kill all of us."

The leader calls out to us, "ha ha, look what we have here boys. Our favorite family of nobodies. How's your boy? I was sure he'd pull through ok. even after we beat him near to death."

John clenches his fist. "What do you want shithead?"

The leader comes up to the house. "Now, is that any way to talk to the people who protect your home from those who would seek to take it from you?" He shakes his head at them. "For that, I'm gonna need twice our usual protection fee."

John says, "We dont have that many goddamn caps. We need more time. I haven't had a chance to go into town and sell the crops. If you give me a chance, I can have your caps by next week."

The leader says, "Hmmm... I dont know if I can do that Johnny boy." He reaches passed John and Grabs Abigail.

I immediately point my gun at him. "Let her go!"

He looks taken back, "And who the fuck, may I ask, are you?"

I say, "None of your goddamn business. Now let her go. You'll get your money."

He says, "you must be fucking blind or stupid. You are outnumbered friend." I look behind him to see every gun pointed at me. I lower my weapon. He nods, "Now, that's more like it." He turns back to John. "Now, I think I'm gonna take the little jewel with me. And you. You are going to get me my money, in five days. Or else, we will come back and I will kill her the same way I killed that boy of yours." He turns to me. "And you. You are lucky that I dont blow your brains out on the spot, but, I like to see myself as a decent, reasonable man. You get the fuck out of here and dont let me see you again." He turns to John, "Five days." He goes to his cars and he yells, "Alright boys, let's roll it out!"

They speed away taking Abigail with them. John goes back in the house and punches a wall, "Goddammit!" I stand in the doorway. He looks at me, "You. I need your help. I wont be able to get those caps in five days. The trip to town alone takes three."

I ask, "who were they?"

He answers, "Goddamn raiders. They come every month. They demand that we pay them for their protection. One day they came and we were short. That same man, beat our son Jack, within an inch of his life. Jack died soon after they left that day. And now I fear that, the same might happen to Abigail if I can't come up with those caps."

I say, "What do you need me to do?"

He looks at me and says, "Thank you sir. They have a base that is 12 hours due east of here. I need you to go, and scout out their base, find where they're keeping her, and, if you can, save her."

I say, "I'll see what I can do."

He says, "Thank you sir. You can stay here for tonight. Rest yourself for the journey."

I nod and I thank him. I go into a spare room that he showed me. There, I sleep until morning.


	3. Chapter 2

I am sitting down at the dinner table in my home. My wife comes from the kitchen with a dinner that she had prepared. As she sits down and I bow my head to give thanks for our food. A flash of light shows outside the window. I yell to get down and everything is stripped away. My wife, my son, my home. I stare upon the face of a desolate wasteland. I kneel down in front of the ashes of what used to be I cry out to the heavens in agony. And all goes black.

I wake up in a cold sweat. I draw my gun so that I could defend myself from attackers that might come. None came, I drop and holster my weapon. I look out the window of the shack and I notice that first light has just broken. Today I make the trip to the raider camp. I ask myself, "why are you doing this? These are not your people. You dont know these people." In truth, I don't know. I suppose that some part of me wants to preserve some of the old world.

I get up and I ready my gear for the trip to come. John comes over to me and gives me some food and water for the trip. I thank him before heading out. On the way to this camp, I find not really any difficulty. A few radroaches, and maybe a mole rat here and there.

I get to the ledge above the camp. I can see clearly, the entire compound. The raiders were holed up in an old junkyard. I take out my sniper rifle and I survey the land. I didnt see Abigail. I kept surveying the land, but still no sign of Abigail.

All of a sudden, I feel a gun barrel pointed at the back of my head. A female voice says, "Hands where I can see them scum."

I say, "Miss, you are mistaken. I am not one of them."

She says, "How can I know that you arent lying?"

I say, "If I were one of them, why would i be up here?"

She says, "Maybe a lookout post."

I say, "Ah, but if I were a lookout, why would i be looking in?"

She wavers and lowers her gun. "Fine. What are you doing?"

I say, "looking for someone. She was captured and I was asked to get her back."

She nods, "So, you're an errand boy? Or are you a hired gun?"

I look at her. She has natural dark red hair, and greenish eyes. Her features were soft but tough at the same time. She was wearing a blue button-down shirt. She is wearing khaki pants and an old leather jacket over her shirt. Strapped to her hip is a Colt 1837, a very rare find. And on the other side is a large kitchen knife made to handle like a combat knife.

I say, "I am neither of those things. I am nobody."

She chuckles, "Well, then I can say that you are not special. Everyone around here is nobody."

I roll my eyes. "What are you doing here?"

She kneels next to me. "Trying to show the truth to the people of Harper's Ferry."

I raise my brow. "Harper's Ferry?"

She looks at me confused. "Yeah, it is a town that is south of here. In between what used to be the Potomac and Shenandoah rivers."

I nod, "So that is the town that John talked about. Is this raider gang even close enough to y'all to cause a problem?"

She looks at me confused again, "Are you kidding me? This raider gang rules The Mire right now. Even though no one in Harper's Ferry will care to admit it. This entire region lives under the control of this gang. This is only one camp. One unit in an army that controls this land."

I nod. "Ok. Thanks for telling me that, but, I still need to rescue this woman."

She looks at me. "You arent doing this for money. So, why are you doing this?"

I look down. "I guess, some part of me wants to preserve some of what used to be."

She smiles to herself and says, "Let me help."

I look confused. "What? Why would you want to help me?"

She smiles, "I'm preserving some of what used to be."

I roll my eyes and I go back to the ledge. "I still have to find where they're keeping her."

She points to a building at the center of the junk yard. "There, this camp puts all of they're captives in that building."

I say, "Ok, I know where she is. So, how am I going to get passed all those men?"

She points to the other side of the junk yard. "You see those cars?" I look and nod. "Some of those cars still have fuel in them. If I can get over there and trigger an explosion, the brunt of the raiders will move off to investigate. And that will give you enough time to get in, get the girl, and get out."

I nod. "And what about you?"

She looks at me. "We can meet back up here after you get her. If I'm not back ten minutes after you get back, leave. I'll either be dead or going back to Harper's Ferry." I nod, before going off to get in place, she stops me. "What's your name, by the way?"

I say, "Brian, Brian Locklear."

She shakes my hand. "Hannah, Hannah Turner."

I nod and we go our separate ways.

I wait by the edge of the camp for the explosion to go off, and sure enough, it does. After the Raiders move to investigate, I move in towards the building only having to dodge or kill a few raiders.

I make it to the building and I get inside. There are a bunch of cages and the keys are on a hook by the door. I take the keys and I unlock the cage where I see Abigail. "Come on, we dont have that much time." She thanks me a few times before we get going towards the meeting point.

I go to meet Hannah and she is sitting up there waiting for us. She stands up and says, "Let's go before they find out she's gone."

We make the journey back to the farm. I give Abigail back to John. "You guys need to leave. It wont be long before they come back. John thanks me and they start to pack up.

I turn to walk away when Hannah stops me. "So, where are you going now?'

I say, "I dont know. Somewhere."

She says, "Well, why dont you come back to town with me?"

I say, "You do realize, we just met. Right?" I chuckle.

She smiles, "Yeah, but I sense something in you. You like to help people. That quality is in short supply nowadays. I thought you might could come with me and find out where to go from there."

I think for a second. She looks at me with a hopeful gaze. I think to myself. "Why would she want me? If she even wants me. I mean... goddammit Brian, dont think like that." I sigh. "Ok. I'll come to town with you."

She smiles and she starts to lead the way. I follow behind her wondering what I've gotten myself into.


	4. Chapter 3

It starts to get late as we come into a town that is built next to the Shenandoah River. She talks to me as we walk. "Watch yourself around here. This town isn't known for its friendliness. Keep your head down until we get to my place." I nod as we walk through the dirty shanty town. We walk down the central dirt pathway passed a few stores. people call out, advertising their wares, weapons, and other things of the sort. We come up passed the circle that the town is built around and I notice a strange flag atop a flag pole. The flag has wings and a sword sticking up through some gears. I shrug it off as nothing and I keep following Hannah.

We arrive at her door and we go into the hut that I assume she lives in. She puts her bag down and motions for me to come in. "Please have a seat."

I nod, "Thank you, but I must ask. Why did you want me to come with you?"

She smiles, "You seemed like someone who was looking for a place to settle down and start a new life. And me, being the kind soul that I am, have simply led you to our fine town, where you can do just that."

I smirk, "Cute story. Look, I'm not in the business of being lied to. So, either you are gonna tell me why I'm here, or I'm going back to wandering."

She sighs, "I see. Well, here's the deal. Since you seem to be in the business of charitable work, I have a favor to ask."

I give her a deadpan look. "I'm gonna stop you right there. The only reason I did anything for those people is that they gave me a place to stay and I got them into trouble. I owed them a debt. You? I don't owe you a god damn thing." I stand up and I head for the door.

I stop when she speaks up. "I helped you rescue that woman from that raider camp. Don't think you could have done that on your own."

I turn, "I'm sure I could have... but you were a big help. ONE favor. then I'm gone."

She smiles and I sit next to her. "That raider camp that you saw, was only one in a big gang that runs this entire region. I need your help to find the main camp and cut the head off the snake, as it were."

I look at her with a straight face. "And who is funding this Military Campaign?"

She doesn't bat an eyelash. "The Brotherhood of Steel."

I look at her confused. "The Brother-who of What?"

She says, "We're a military faction that cropped up a year or two after the bombs fell. We swiftly gained popularity over on the west coast, now we are attempting to spread to the east coast."

I say, "Then why don't you get one of them to help you?"

She sighs, "Because, my superiors do not believe this to be a pressing matter. They seem to not believe me that these raiders are bigger than they look. They said that if I could get someone to be my partner on this then they would give me a little bit of funding. Weapons, Ammo, Some personnel."

I nod, "So you want me to help you conduct a military campaign against a bunch of raiders because you think that they have more control than they look like they do."

She looks down, "Look, I know it's a risk, but this could do a lot of good for the honest people living in this area. maybe even across the state."

I say, "Or, we'll push them into another region where they will again gain power and create a lot of bad for innocent people."

She looks at me, "Not if we cut them off at the head. In my experience, raiders tend to become confused and disperse when their leader is taken out.

I sigh, "You better hope that you're right." I sigh again, "I'm in. how do we get started?"

She spends the night explaining how we will bring this up to her superiors until we both decide to go to sleep.


	5. Chapter 4

I am laying in bed with my wife. she is snuggled up to me, almost asleep, She mutters something that I can't quite hear. I say, "What was that love?" she mutters it again, but I still don't quite understand what she says. I sit up. "Baby, you're gonna have to speak up."

She sits up and whispers in my ear. "You could have done more..."

I look at her confused for a second. "wha...?" suddenly everything is stripped away the house is broken down. the roof caves in, the windows burst, and I look at my wife and all I can see is her petrified corpse in front of me. I scream and I fall backward off the bed.

I sit up in a cold sweat. I look around and I sigh as I slowly start to recognize my surroundings. I look down. "Goddammit..."

Hannah is sitting in a chair across from me. "Nightmare?" I simply nod and she speaks again. "Wanna talk about it?" I shake my head. She nods and hands me a beer. "Here, I think you could use one of these."

I look at the beer. "Got anything stronger?"

She looks at me. "No, we have a meeting with my superiors today. no getting shitfaced."

I huff. "Fine." I sip my beer. She smiles at the fact that she won. I roll my eyes. "So, What's our play for that meeting?"

She nods and says, "Let me do the talking. You will just be there for moral support."

I nod, "Fine. when is it?"

She says, "In about an hour." I nod and she says, "So... in the mean-time, make yourself at home. please don't steal anything. I'll be back and we'll go after I get back. See you in a bit." she walks out and closes the door behind her. I sit back on the couch and I decide to lay back down.

Hannah comes back and shakes me to wake me up. I instinctively reach for my gun but I stop short when I see her. "Oh, it's you."

She smirks, "Don't sound so disappointed." I roll my eyes and I sit up. She says, "We gotta go now, come on."

I nod and we head out to a building at the end of the road. At the door to this building, there are two people in power armor. Hanna says her name and they let us in. We go to an elevator where Hannah tells me the plan once again. I nod as she talks. we get to our floor and we walk to a room with a table in it with some chairs around it. there are some guys in military fatigues and what I assume to be brotherhood emblems on their shoulders. the meeting starts.

The man in the middle of them all speaks. "Knight Hannah Turner, you have asked us to convene today, no doubt, because of some concerns you have with some of the local raider groups. Have you come to us with any proof that what you have said is true?"

Hannah speaks up. "No, sir. I have only come to tell you that I have found someone who is willing to help me with this case."

The leader shakes his head. "We have told you once. We will tell you again. This issue is not the biggest. And since you have no evidence, there is no further need for us to investigate."

Hannah says, "But sir..."

He interrupts her, "Enough. You will report to Knight-Captain Marwin for reassignment."

She looks confused. "Reassignment?"

He says, "You are obviously too close to this raider situation for you to be able to resume your regular duties. It is for that reason that you will be reassigned to one of our other East-Coast bases. Dismissed." she looks down and walks calmly out of the room. I look at these men in awe of what just went down. The leader notices that I am still there. "You may leave sir, thank you for offering your services."

I say back to him. "I just would like to know what your problem is..."

He looks at me with a blank stare. "Excuse me?"

I say, "You heard me. why not investigate this problem?"

He says, "As I said, this is not the biggest problem on our agenda."

I say, "If the problem is so small, then why not spare a couple of soldiers to at least investigate the issue. If it isn't something, then yay, we stopped a small raider gang from terrorizing this part of the land. But if Hannah is right, If these raiders really do have control of the entire region, you will be damn glad to have, at least, checked it out." I turn and I go out the door without another word. I walk out of the building and I don't see Hannah. I walk to her house and I knock on the door. "Hannah? It's me, Brian..." There is no answer. "Hannah? Is it alright if I come in?" I hear the lock on the door click, indicating that it is open, I smile and open the door. "Hannah?" I walk in.

I look over and I draw my weapon. There is a raider holding a gun to Hannah's temple. "Drop it buddy, or I drop her." I glare at him as I lower my weapon. "Good." he shakes his head. "You two... have been causing quite the stir. And, you know, the boss hates it when outsiders are meddling with our... private affairs." He smirks. "And, of course, we can't have the Brotherhood of Steel breathing down our necks" I look confused and he laughs, "you didn't seriously think that one of the biggest raider groups in this region wouldn't have a bug in the Brotherhood of Steel? how do you think we keep off their radar? That is until you two came along and started poking around and all that bullshit. Now, the boss wants both of you dead. It's nothing personal, it's just that we would rather not have to go to war with the Brotherhood. Now, Drop it all the way and I can get this done quickly."

I nod. "Alright, asshole... you win." I drop the gun in such a way that it goes off. the bullet goes into the raider's foot. He drops his gun and screams in pain. Hannah escapes his grasp and goes for his gun, successfully grabbing it and pointing it at him. he comes to his senses and grabs at the gun. They fight for the gun and I go for mine. I almost have my gun when I hear the other one go off. I grab mine and look back to see Hannah clutching her side. The raider was pointing the gun at her head and I immediately shoot him in the head killing him.

I go to Hannah and I kneel by her. She looks up at me. "I was right."

I smirk. "You were right. There is definitely something more going on here."


	6. Chapter 5

I get her up and I sit her on the couch. I gesture to her side. "Let me take a look at that." She nods and moves her hand away from her side. I lift her shirt high enough to see the gash that the bullet left. "It doesn't look like the bullet is still inside. but this cut needs stitches before you lose too much blood."

She nods and says, "Stitches are kind of in short supply nowadays. Let alone in this shitty town."

I say, "Do you know where I might be able to get some?"

She shakes her head. "Not that I can think of."

I sigh. "There is one more thing that I can do as a quick fix." She looks at me confused and I say, "Do you have a fire poker?"

She nods. "Over there by the fire pit."

I nod and go over to the makeshift fire pit on the other side of the room. I set the tip of the poker in the hot coals of the fire. I let it sit. Hannah watches me as I do this. I take it out once it is red hot. I give her a washcloth. "Here. Bite down on this. I'm not gonna lie. this is going to be excruciatingly painful."She nods and bites down on the cloth. She gives me a thumbs up and I say, "1...2..." I press the red hot metal to her skin and I run it along the cut until the skin is closed around the cut. I get a bandage and I quickly wrap her side until the cut is completely covered. the entire time Hannah is making noises of extreme pain through the cloth. I sit down on the couch. "There. I'm done now."

She slowly sits up and takes the cloth out of her mouth. "What in the fuck...happened to three?"

I shrug. "I've heard that it hurts less if it is a surprise."

She looks at me. "That is complete bullshit."

I shrug, "Eh...worth a shot."

She smiles at me and chuckles. "Thanks..."

I shake my head. "Don't mention it. just take time to let that heal"

She nods, "I'll do my best, but those raiders won't stop to let me heal."

I nod, "You let me worry about that. for now, just get some rest." She nods reluctantly and starts to go to sleep. I sit next to her and I watch the door with my pistol in my hand.

-TIME SKIP-

She wakes up the next morning and sees me looking at the door. "Did you sleep?" I simply shake my head. She sighs but nods in understanding.

I shift to look at her. Let me take a look at that wound again. I take off the bandage carefully and I examine the wound. I sigh as it looks like it is infected. "You're going to need antibiotics or else the infection will spread. Is there a doctor or medical place I can take you to?"

She nods. "The Brotherhood of Steel has a med bay that they can treat me in."

I nod and get up. "Come on then, you need to get treated as soon as possible."

She attempts to get up, only to have searing pain knock her back on her ass. "Shit, fucking hurts."

I kneel down to her level, "I know, but we have to get you to that med bay. come on, grab my arm." I help her off of the couch and I let her lean on my shoulder as we walk down the street.

She points to the last house on the right side of the street. "That one, that's the building their using as a hospital of sorts."

I nod and make a b-line for that building. when we walk through the door we are immediately met by a couple of brotherhood doctors. one takes Hannah and helps her to one of the beds and the other talks to me, "What happened to her?"

I look at the doctor. "She was shot, well, the bullet went through her side, I don't think any vital organs were hit."

She nods as she writes down everything I've said. "When and where did this happen?"

I nod and say, "Last night at her place, here in town."

She nods and says, "Alright, we'll take it from here, thank you for bringing her in."

she tries to usher me out the door but I stop her. "Wait, She's my partner, I mean, as in, we are working a case together."

She rolls her eyes, "We will update you on her condition when we..."

she is interrupted by the other doctor, "Doctor Lambert? The patient that just came in, Knight Hannah Turner, she wishes that this man be present." Doctor Lambert nods and lets me passed.

I follow the other doctor to where Hannah is. one of the nurses is properly stopping the bleeding. "Keep talking Knight Turner. you're still losing a good amount of blood so we need to keep you awake."

I kneel down to Hannah's level. "Hey Hannah, I'm here. It's Brian."

She smiles and says, "Hey, I'm in pretty bad shape aren't I?"

I look at her, "Nah just a little bit of medical treatment and you'll be right as rain." She smiles and begins to drift off, "Hey, Hannah, Why don't you tell me what you did before all this? Before the bombs fell."

She snaps awake at my words. "I...I was a waitress at a little diner that was stuck to the side of the Red Rocket Gas Station. That was all the way back when I was still living in Nevada."

I smile, "How did you survive out there?"

She looks at me, "Well, I was 17 at the time and my folks scored on the lottery. reserved spots in the local vault, for all of us. It was 10 years before the door opened again. We lived on the outside for a while. As things often do in this wasteland, It went bad pretty fast, Dad died protecting us from a Deathclaw...and mom...she died from radiation exposure three months after that."

She starts to tear up and I look down."I'm sorry for making you relive that. You've had a tough go of it."

She looks at me once again, "But hey, I came out if it stronger right?"

The doctor whispers to me that the blood has stopped and she can sleep now. I smile and say, "Yeah Hannah, you did. Go ahead and get some rest now."

I start to get up and she grabs my hand. "Stay here? at least until I fall asleep?"

I nod, "Go ahead and get some rest. I'll be right here." She nods and closes her eyes.

I sit back in my chair and I can't help but remember the time Sarah got sick and I sat by her bedside and spoonfed her chicken noodle soup. I smile and chuckle for a few seconds before shaking my head. I think to myself, "This is not like that, and She isn't your wife. You had your chance with a wife and kid. You didn't make sure that they got to safety. You lost them." I shake my head again and I start to drift off to sleep.


	7. Chapter 6

I'm woken up by someone softly shaking my arm. "Mmmm... five more minutes Sarah."

Hannah looks at me confused. "Who's Sarah?"

I sit up. "Huh??" I look at Hannah. "Oh...No one..."

She looks even more confused. "Ok, once I woke up they gave me a stimpack. So I'm good to go." 

I nod. "Ok then, where to?"

She sits up in her bed. "Well, first we go to my superiors about the raider that attacked us." 

I stand up and go in front of her. "Hey, if what that raider said was true, going to them may not be the best idea."

She looks at me. "You think the spy is that high up?" 

I nod, "it'd be foolish to assume otherwise. I'd hate to say it, but if the brotherhood is compromised, we wont be able to get the help we need from them. We're on our own."

She nods, "The only problem is, my acting orders are to report for reassignment. What are we going to do about that?"

I look down, "let's talk options when we get back to your place, Come on."

She nods and we walk out of the makeshift hospital. We both stay silent walking down the central road. I look around and see all the makeshift scaffolding and bridges between roofs. I nudge Hannah. "So, what's the deal with this town anyway?"

She shoots me a sideways glance. "People around here say that it used to be inhabited completely by supermutants."

I nod. "Yeah, I've delt with them on the road before. That was bad enough. I cant imagine having to clear out a whole camp of them"

She nods. "I was just a scribe when the brotherhood moved here and sent all of them to hell. Not too long after, I was assigned to this place. It's become a home of sorts for me. Here is where I've climbed the ranks of the brotherhood. I almost can't believe I have to leave."

We get into Hannah's house. She shuts the door behind us. I sit down and ask, "How much time do you think you'll have before having to report for reassignment?" 

She sits down next to me. "Standard minimum is three weeks for taking care of unfinished buisness and packing."

I nod, "then it's settled. For the next three weeks, we will work this raider case until we find answers and enough evidence to launch a campaign against them. Or it will lead to nothing and we'll just fight raiders like we always do. Deal?"

She looks confused at me. "Wait...you could just go back to wandering. It's pretty much over anyway, and without the brotherhood's help, we dont even know where to start."

I look back at her. "I think I know where to start. That raider camp that we rescued that woman from. We go back there, grab the leader for a quick interrogation, then we get the information on who is behind all this."

She smiles. "You're smarter than you let on."

I roll my eyes. "Gee thanks. I may not be book smart, and let's face it, who is. But I do have some street smarts. Otherwise known as wasteland smarts." 

She chuckles, "whatever you say Brian..." She looks at me again with a straight face. "So...what about you?"

I look confused. "What about me?"

She shrugs her shoulders, "you know...I told you my story, isnt it only fair you tell me yours?" I chuckle then nod slightly. She brightens up a bit. "So...who were you before the bombs?"

I sit back on the couch. "I was a construction worker. Like many other Americans in those days, I was traveling around looking for a job. Then I find one here in West Virginia. A Vault Tech representative came up to me and offered me a job to work on vault 76."

She nods, "I've heard about that vault in our records. It is on the list for technology survey and recovery." 

I nod, "Yeah. All of the construction crew and their families were allowed a place in the vault. It was about 500 residents."

She asks, "So, do you have a family?"

I nod, "I met my wife at a town assembly in the town of flatwoods. She was the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on. I asked her to date me and to my surprise, she said yes. We went strong for a good 4 years before I had worked up the courage to ask her to marry me. Not long after the marriage, we brought our son Joseph into the world. In 2076 the vault was completed. Then... a little over one year later, the bombs started to fall. I rushed to the vault because it was my duty to see that everyone was ushered in after their ID was checked at the gate. My family was there. I saw them. I yelled for them to move faster. Then...a blinding flash of light was shown in the far distance. The door to the vault started to close. I watched my family get shut out of the vault, to become corpses on the other side. And the worst part is, I cant even lay them to rest. Because if I try to move their remains, they will break apart." 

By this point I havent noticed that tears are falling down my cheeks. Hannah comes over to me and wipes the tears carefully. And puts her arm around me. I snap back to reality and instinctively move away from her. "Look...I'm sorry, but I honestly dont need comfort or pity. I've had plenty of time to cope. That's just the first time I've told the story out loud to someone."

She nods. "So, what happened to the rest of the vault residents?"

I roll my eyes, "A majority of them went off to find where our overseer went. Personally, I dont think it matters. A few other residents felt the same way that I do and we all went our separate ways. It had only been a few days since the door opened when we met."

She nods and yawns.

I look at her, "let's go ahead and get some sleep. If we're going to solve this raider case, we'll need to leave first thing in the morning." 

She nods. "I'll go get you a blanket." 

I nod. "Thanks."

She comes back from her room upstairs with a thick sheet and a burlap pillow. "Here you go. I'll see you in the morning. Goodnight." 

I nod back at her. "Goodnight Hannah."


	8. Chapter 7

I wake up naturally, I think to myself, "huh...no nightmare tonight." I look out the window and I have a clear view of the sunrise. i smile.

Hannah is standing at the bottom of the stairs. "I don't think I've ever seen you smile before."

I look at her, "Don't have much to smile about these days. I just used to get up early all the time to watch the sunrise with...with Sarah. It became an every-day thing for a while. then i got busy with work...then..."

She nods, "I understand. would you like to be alone?"

I shake my head. "Nah, we got to get ready to go anyway." I get up and I look in my backpack to make sure I'm not running low on supplies. "We're going to need to stock up on some food before we leave."

She nods, "There is a Mr. Handy in town that is a vendor at a general store." 

I close my backpack and I holster my Glock 19. I pick up my hunting rifle that was sitting upright beside the door. "Get packed and ready. I'll hit up the general store and pack food for both of us. you should meet me there and stock up on ammo. See you in a bit."

I walk out the door to see a few people and brotherhood soldiers starting their day-to-day lives. I walk down to where the Mr. Handy is he looks at me and addresses me in that British accent. "Goodmorning Sir! Welcome to Harper's Ferry General Goods.

I look at him "hey, I need to stock up on food and ammo" the Mr. Handy points me to the back of the store. "Thanks."

He beems back at me enthusiastically. "Of course sir!"

I go to where he pointed and I start to stock up on food for both me and Hannah for at least the next week. I also stock up on .308 rounds and 9mm rounds for my weapons. I bring the stuff up to the counter where a human now stands. "Hey, all this along with a couple packs of smokes please."

He grabs a couple packs of cigarettes. "That'll be..." he looks at the stuff and checks up on the prices. "114 caps."

I sigh, "114!? Damn man, you're killing me." 

He raises his hands, "I didnt set the prices man, you got a complaint take it up with those assholes in the brotherhood of stupid."

I nod. "I get it man. Take it easy." I hand him the caps and I wait outside the store for Hannah. I only got odd looks from a few people before Hannah showed up a few minutes later. I say, "hurry up. We gotta get a move on."

She nods and goes to stock up on ammo for her laser rifle and colt. She comes back out. "Alright, let's go." 

I nod and she leads the way out of town. We travel until It starts to get dark. I see an old abandoned shack that looks big enough for us. "Over there. We can stop at that shack for the night." Hannah nods and we head over to the shack. I lay out my bed roll and I set up a fire just outside the door of the shack.

Hannah sets up her bed roll next to mine. "So... how long has it been since your vault opened?" 

I sit back after lighting the fire. "A week, maybe a few days more than that."

She lays down, "what do you think of it so far? Way different than the world you left behind right?"

I simply nod before speaking again. "I guess...the first time I saw people, it filled me with hope. Hope that, maybe if others found a way to survive out here. Surely I can too."  
She nods. I hand her some canned pork n beans. "Here, dinner time." I get one for myself. "I got a question."

She looks at me. "Shoot"

I say, "Why place your faith in the brotherhood of steel?"

She rolls her eyes. "Well, nowadays, I find myself questioning that faith. But, back when I first joined, their objective was so pure. 'Collect old tech for the betterment of what's left of mankind.' It was something that I could get behind. But, as we grew. It became more and more apparent that it was just a mad grab for power. I've been thinking for breaking ties with them for a while now."

I nod. "I dont know if that's the answer. Back before the bombs, if we didnt like what the government was doing, we could just vote them out of office. But, what you can do, is raise yourself to the highest rank you can. Then you can influence behavior and decisions. Plus, safety in numbers and all that."

She looks at me. "Safety in numbers? You had been surviving out here for a good few days just fine before we met. And you were on your own." 

I look back at her. "Ever since I left home, I have been preparing myself mentally for having to survive alone out here. I guess I just got good at it." She nods and I say, "Get some sleep, We'll set off at first light."


	9. Chapter 8

I wake up naturally, I think to myself, "huh...no nightmare tonight." I look out the window and I have a clear view of the sunrise. i smile.

Hannah is standing at the bottom of the stairs. "I don't think I've ever seen you smile before."

I look at her, "Don't have much to smile about these days. I just used to get up early all the time to watch the sunrise with...with Sarah. It became an every-day thing for a while. then i got busy with work...then..."

She nods, "I understand. would you like to be alone?"

I shake my head. "Nah, we got to get ready to go anyway." I get up and I look in my backpack to make sure I'm not running low on supplies. "We're going to need to stock up on some food before we leave."

She nods, "There is a Mr. Handy in town that is a vendor at a general store." 

I close my backpack and I holster my Glock 19. I pick up my hunting rifle that was sitting upright beside the door. "Get packed and ready. I'll hit up the general store and pack food for both of us. Meet me there you should meet me there and stock up on ammo. See you in a bit."

I walk out the door to see a few people and brotherhood soldiers starting their day-to-day lives. I walk down to where the Mr. Handy is he looks at me and addresses me in that British accent. "Goodmorning Sir! Welcome to Harper's Ferry General Goods.

I look at him "hey, I need to stock up on food and ammo" the Mr. Handy points me to the back of the store. "Thanks."

He beems back at me enthusiastically. "Of course sir!"

I go to where he pointed and I start to stock up on food for both me and Hannah for at least the next week. I also stock up on .308 rounds and 9mm rounds for my weapons. I bring the stuff up to the counter where a human now stands. "Hey, all this along with a couple packs of smokes please."

He grabs a couple packs of cigarettes. "That'll be..." he looks at the stuff and checks up on the prices. "114 caps."

I sigh, "114!? Damn man, you're killing me." 

He raises his hands, "I didnt set the prices man, you got a complaint take it up with those assholes in the brotherhood of stupid."

I nod. "I get it man. Take it easy." I hand him the caps and I wait outside the store for Hannah. I only got odd looks from a few people before Hannah showed up a few minutes later. I say, "hurry up. We gotta get a move on."

She nods and goes to stock up on ammo for her laser rifle and colt. She comes back out. "Alright, let's go." 

I nod and she leads the way out of town. We travel until It starts to get dark. I see an old abandoned shack that looks big enough for us. "Over there. We can stop at that shack for the night." Hannah nods and we head over to the shack. I lay out my bed roll and I set up a fire just outside the door of the shack.

Hannah sets up her bed roll next to mine. "So... how long has it been since your vault opened?" 

I sit back after lighting the fire. "A week, maybe a few days more than that."

She lays down, "what do you think of it so far? Way different than the world you left behind right?"

I simply nod before speaking again. "I guess...the first time I saw people, it filled me with hope. Hope that, maybe if others found a way to survive out here. Surely I can too."  
She nods. I hand her some canned pork n beans. "Here, dinner time." I get one for myself. "I got a question."

She looks at me. "Shoot"

I say, "Why place your faith in the brotherhood of steel?"

She rolls her eyes. "Well, nowadays, I find myself questioning that faith. But, back when I first joined, their objective was so pure. 'Collect old tech for the betterment of what's left of mankind.' It was something that I could get behind. But, as we grew. It became more and more apparent that it was just a mad grab for power. I've been thinking for breaking ties with them for a while now."

I nod. "I dont know if that's the answer. Back before the bombs, if we didnt like what the government was doing, we could just vote them out of office. But, what you can do, is raise yourself to the highest rank you can. Then you can influence behavior and decisions. Plus, safety in numbers and all that."

She looks at me. "Safety in numbers? You had been surviving out here for a good few days just fine before we met. And you were on your own." 

I look back at her. "Ever since I left home, I have been preparing myself mentally for having to survive alone out here. I guess I just got good at it." She nods and I say, "Get some sleep, We'll set off at first light."


	10. Chapter 9

Dawn breaks and we get to the road that leads down to the raider camp. I turn to Hannah, "here's the plan. You are going to stay up at that perch above the camp and watch my approach with your laser rifle. Here's a scope that should work with it." I hand her the scope out of my bag. "I'm going to try and sneak in there same as last time. But be prepared for a fight just in case." She nods as we continue down the road. We work our way above the raider camp to the spot where I looked over the camp the first time. I turn to her. "On second thought. Here, use my rifle. It'll be much more accurate than your laser rifle." She raises her eyebrow at me. I say, "hey, I stand by my words. When it comes to accuracy, live rounds do the best." She reluctantly agrees. 

I give her my gun and I turn to start my approach. She taps on my shoulder. "Hey, be careful down there. Just, dont die." 

I smirk and nod. "Dont worry about me. Not dying is sort of my specialty."

With that, I slide down the hill to the edge of the camp. There dont seem to be many raiders guarding this part of the camp. I successfully sneak through to the next part.

I come up to a couple of raiders they haven't seemed to notice me yet. I throw a rock over to the side to try and distract one of them. The rock hits the ground among some other rocks and doesnt make much sound. The raiders continue their conversation. 

I throw my knife, aiming it at one of the raiders. It misses and lands on the ground making a clanging sound. The raiders notice where the knife comes from. One of them pulls their own knife and the other goes to sound the alarm. The one going for the alarm is stopped short by Hannah's bullet. I fight with the raider. I am able to get the knife from him and I stab the knife into his neck, killing him.

I go and pick up my knife. I sigh to myself. "I need to be more careful." I continue towards the middle of the camp. I see the building that they are using as a stronghold. I see a few guards on the roof and one beside the door. I choose to sneak around to the side of the building so the guards dont see me coming. I sneak up behind the door guard and I cover his mouth as I use my knife to slit his throat.

I drag him away from the door and I make my way into the one room shack. I see the leader with his back to the door leaning over a table. I come up to him and put my pistol to the back of his head. "Shout and I'll paint the wall with what little brains you have scum." 

He slowly turns around and I keep my gun on him. He looks surprised, "well, I'll be fucked. Its that nobody who I told to get lost. You know, you've caused quite the tizzy over at HQ." 

I roll my eyes. "Shut up asshole. Look, I know you're not the brains of this operation. So, you're going to tell me who is. Unless you feel like dying a very slow and painful death." 

Hannah comes through the door behind me and nods at me. I nod back. I motion to a chair. "Have a seat." He sits down and I tie him down while Hannah's gun is trained on him. 

I sit down in front of him and I turn on the holotape recorder on my pip-boy. "So...you're going to tell me who's behind this whole operation. You guys have cars, modern guns, pretty nice digs. Who set you up like this?" 

He smirks, "a little guy. You might know him, first name, fuck. Last name, you." 

I pull out my knife and twirl it around for a second. "You see..." I stab it into his leg. "That's just not what I wanted to hear." I pull it out. "The way I see it, you've got a couple of hours before that wound bleeds out and you die a useless death. Now, I want to help you, I really do. But you gotta cooperate with me. Who is really in charge? Who's the brain behind the operation?" 

He spits at me. "Fuck. You. Asshole." 

I stab his other leg. "Wrong answer." I pull the knife out and I ask the question again. "Last chance. Who's the brain behind this operation?" 

He sighs, "I dont know them personally." I get up and start to walk out. He panics, "wait wait wait! I dont know them personally. But I can point you to someone who does. Just dont leave me here like this man." 

I put the knife to the raider's neck. "Name."

He looks at me. "His name is Freddie Lang." He and his gang are holed up in Blackwater Mine."

I cut him loose and turn to walk away. He calls from the chair. "Hey, that girl you're with. She looks nice. I'm sure it'd be fun to play with her like we did that last one who was here. What was her name? Ah yes, her name was Abigail." He licks his lips. "So soft...so..."

His talking is cut short by my knife flying into his skull. I pull it out and I walk by Hannah and out of the shack. She follows as I walk out of the camp. 

After a little while on the road, she finally speaks up. "Um...do you wanna talk about what happened back there?" 

"What's to talk about? We got what we need. And we know where to go next"

She keeps talking. "I mean what happened at the end there. There was really no reason to kill that guy. Even if he was a dick." 

I turned to her. "You heard him. He was threatening you and possibly alot of others as well. I had to do something to keep him from hurting anyone else."

Hannah sighs, "I get death threats all the time. I think, the truth is, you just lost your cool because you arent used to this kind of stuff because you've only been out of that vault for a bloody week."

I turn away from her. "You dont know me. You have no idea!" 

She comes closer to me. "Then what is it?! What really happened back there?!"

I shout out, "I cant loose anyone else!"  
She stops dead in her tracks when I say that. "I have lost my parents to the war. I lost my wife and son to the bombings."

She cautiously comes closer to me as I continue to speak. "I cant...I cant loose anyone else. And I will do anything to protect the people I'm with. Even if it means I loose myself along the way." 

At this point, I'm on my knees on the ground. Hannah kneels down in front of my and turns my face to look at her before she hugs me. "You dont have to worry about loosing me. I am not going anywhere. That's a promise. Come on. We can walk a little while longer before having to stop for the night" 

I nod and we walk I little ways more before stopping for the night.


	11. Chapter 10

I am standing at the stove in my old house cooking dinner for my family. I feel arms wrap around my waist from behind. I smile and say, "hello my love." I turn around and kiss my wife. She looks at me but she frowns. I look confused. "What's wrong baby?"

She shakes her head. "The past is the past. There's no going back."

I sigh. "So what? You just want me to forget my life before all this? Forget you? Joseph?"

She shakes her head. "No. But dont let us stop you from going into the future. You have the chance to start over and move on with your life. Even make a few good friends along the way."

I hear Hannah's voice saying my name. My wife looks to where it comes from. "Time for you to go." I nod and start to walk away. "Brian." I turn and look at Sarah. "Only good dreams from now on. Yeah?" 

I smile and say, "always and forever."

I open my eyes peacefully and I sit up on my bedspread. Hannah is sitting in front of me. "Another bad dream?"

I shake my head. "Only good dreams from now on." 

Hannah gives a small smile. "That's good. Now let's go. We need to get a move on if we want to reach Blackwater Mine before sundown." 

I nod and I pack up my stuff.

Before too long, we get closer to the mine and Hannah speaks up. "So, about this morning. You said, 'only good dreams from now on' what did you dream about that makes you so sure?" 

I smirk, "What? You saying that I cant have good dreams?"

She sighs, "That's not what I meant. I'm just saying that if you've discovered the secret to preventing bad dreams, I'd like to know it." 

I chuckle. "Well, I dont know about that, but i can say that, after last night. I feel at peace." 

She says, "May I ask what you dreamt about?"

I am about to say something when the sound of gunshots stops us in our tracks. It sounds like it's close.  
We look at each other and nod in agreement. We come up to an opening. 

I hide in the treeline and take out my binoculars. I survey the area and I see what looks like lots of raiders firing at what looks like a bunch of people in gilley suits and gas masks. 

"Raiders. They're fighting some people I've never seen before."

I give the binoculars to Hannah and she takes a look. "I've dealt with those before. We call them mole minors. Not sure what they are, only that they haven't been friendly." She points towars the cave that the raiders are defending. "Take a look. To the side of the door." 

I look and I see a sign that says, "Blackwater Mine". I sigh, "You gotta be shitting me. This is our place."

I sit back down and Hannah speaks, "well, what do you want to do?"

I think for a moment before speaking. "We are going to work our way quietly up to the high ground above the mine entrance. Then we wait for the cover of darkness. We go in and interrogate our raider friend."

Hannah nods and we quietly make our way up above the mine entrance. There we wait until nightfall. 

I turn to Hannah and I give her my rifle and a makeshift silencer that I made out of an oil filter. "Take this and take out as many raider that are outside as you can from up here." 

She nods. "And what will you do?" 

I take out my combat knife and my pistol. "I'm gonna go have a chat with our friend Mr. Freddie Lang." 

She nods, "Be careful." 

I smile, "I always am." I go to make my way down the slope towards the mine entrance.


	12. Chapter 11

I get into the entrance area and I only see two guards posted by the door. I take a couple throwing knives out of my belt that goes across my chest and I throw them at both the guards in quick succession. They both go down, making minimal noise as they land on the dirt. I  open the door as quietly as I can with it being a rusted out door. I make my way over to a doorway that goes into what looks like an office, possibly where the foreman worked. In the office is a terminal a couple chairs and a bed with a raider sleeping soundly in it.  
I move up to him and I put my knife to his throat and my hand over his mouth, "make one sound and this knife and you are going to get real friendly. You're going to tell me where I can find Freddie Lang."  
I slowly remove my hand, keeping the knife to his throat. He starts to speak softly, "his place is down the mineshaft and up some stairs."  
I nod and Jam my knife into him. "Thanks." I walk away saying to myself, "he'd have gone to tell someone."  
I walk down the mineshaft and I find a small corridor with some stairs at the end. I go up the stairs to find another office, but this one is makeshift, definitely put there by the raiders. I move over to where a man is sleeping, I do the same thing with him keeping the knife to his throat and threatening him. "Mr. Freddie Lang?"  
He speaks to me in a gruff voice, "what do you want asshole?"  
I answer, "I need to know who you work for."  
He says, "I ain't workin for nobody."  
I say, "that's the wrong answer, dont make me hurt you man. Just tell me."  
He says, "I ain't workin for nobody. I run this here operation."  
I say, "I know you have superiors who control these lands using you and a few other gangs, I just need to know where I can find them and you can go free."  
Hannah's POV  
while hes in there I take the gun and I start picking off guard towers. No alarms yet. I slowly start picking off more and more raiders. I make my way down the slope and into the camp, I make my way through silently taking out as many as possible before heading into the mine after him. I take care of the little raiders there are in the mine before trying to find Brian. I call his name and I dont here him, I start to get worried. "Brian!" I call again, and again, no answer. At this point I think the worst until I call his name down a corridor and hear a strained answer, "Hannah! In here!" I start down the corridor and I see a raider running my way, I take out a throwing knife and i pin him in the chest knocking him down and killing him. I run in and I see Brian sitting up against a bed with a knife jammed into his knee, he also seems to be bleeding in a few places. I come over to him and I kneel down "Brian! What the hell happened?"  
He struggles to talk, "Stupid bastard got the drop on me, he was able to get my knife from me and, well, you can see the rest."  
I nod and I take a look at the knife. "I've got some bandages that you can use until we get somewhere safe. But i have to take out the knife."  
He nods weekly. "Yeah, do it."  
I start to count, "on three. 1...2..." I pull the knife out fast before applying pressure to the wound.  
He groans loudly when I pull it out. "I suppose that's payback?"  
I smirk, "i heard that it doesnt hurt as bad if it's a surprise."  
He chuckles lightly before groaning again, "smartass."  
I look him over and i ask, "are you hurting badly anywhere else?"  
He answers, "my knee is kind of distracting me for any other pain."  
I nod. "Here. Keep pressure on this while I wrap it up."  
He nods and does as I say. His eyes start to close as i finish the wrap. I look up and shake him "hey, hey! Brian, you gotta stay awake for me." I put his arm over my shoulder and I help him up. "Tell me about your family, your wife, what did she look like?"  
I start moving out of the mine as he talks, "long brown hair...her eyes were the nicest shade of brown, but in a different lighting they almost looked golden."  
I nod as we get closer to the mine exit/entrance. "Keep talking to me, what else can you remember?"  
He strains to keep talking. "She was curvy, and short, about 5'4". She used to always make me and joe breakfast in the mornings. Her pancakes were the best in the world."  
I smile, "hey, we make it out of this, I'll find some and make you all the pancakes you want. Just stay with me."  
I glance behind me and I see a trail of blood. He's losing alot. I think to myself of where to take him. He speaks up, "I know somewhere we might be able to get help. The town I used to live in. Last I saw, it had some folks in it."  
I nod, "friendly folk?" He nods weekly. I look on as I walk out of the raider camp. I dont see another choice. "Which way?"  
He hands me his pipboy. "Follow the map...to...Flatwoods."  
With that he stops talking but is still awake enough to partially walk. I start to make my way towards where he said to go.  
I find myself thinking, "please brian, stay with me. I cant loose anyone else that I care about."


	13. Chapter 12

Brian's POV

I wake up and I look around to see a hospital room I try sitting up but pain knocks me back down.

someone comes to my side. "Brian, you shouldn't be trying to move just yet."

I look up at the person and I see the face of my wife. "Sarah? wha?" I shake my head and look again to see Hannah's face.

She looks down at me, "Sorry, no, You lost a lot of blood so you're hallucinating a little bit."

I nod, "I'm good now."

She looks me over. "You in very much pain?"

I nod a little bit. "My knee is the worst. but I'm starting to feel my shoulder a bit too."

She gives me a stimpack, "Here, take this for the pain. However, unfortunately, I can't do anything about your face." I chuckle and smile genuinely as she laughs with me. "I'm gonna go rustle up something for us to eat. I'll be right back." I nod and relax back into a sleepy state.

Hannah's POV

I head out into the main area of the hospital. From the look of the outside, this place used to be a church. I guess it makes sense since its one of the biggest buildings in town except that big old building down the road. 

I enter what looks like a diner with signs on it with a symbol of a shield on it, on this shield is a circle with a heart inside, with a heartbeat sensor going across. I move in and I see a man sitting at a table. we make eye contact and I greet him. "Hello."

He immediately smiles and starts to speak. "So, have you come to join the responders?"

I give him a confused look and I say, "Who are the responders?"

He gives me a confused look back. "All across America, they were the first to run into danger: the brave firefighters, police officers and medical professionals who selflessly served their communities. After the bombs fell, they formed the Responders. Their mission – help each other… no matter the cost."

I give a small smile, "Sounds like a wonderful goal. but how do I know that this isn't just another grab for control over a broken nation? Who are you even working for?"

He gestures all around him. "We work for ourselves. no body of government, just basic human decency."

I nod, "Sorry, I guess working with the brotherhood of steel has given me trust issues.."

He nods in understanding. "I don't blame you. all I've ever seen of them is stealing tech and saying get out of our way or be neutralized."

I look at him in surprise. "Really? I knew it was corrupt, but I didn't think it was that bad."

He looks down, "You soldiers have your security escort, but you never pay attention to what's left behind. ruined crops and broken homes."

I lean on the desk to get closer to him. "On behalf of the worst of the brotherhood, I'm so sorry."

Someone runs in, "John! it's happening again."

He looks over at the teenage boy. "Goddammit. alright, I'm on the way." He turns to me, "If you know how to use that big iron on your hip, come with me, we could use the help."

I nod and follow him.

As soon as his feet hit the cracked pavement, he starts barking orders, "Pete! Get the women and children that live on the edge of town in the church. Shaun! go with him and watch each other's backs." They both nod and go off to do as he says, "The rest of you follow me!"

In all, about 16 men and women follow him towards the end of town where that big old building is. I follow them. we all line-up, clustering behind stacks of sandbags for cover. I point my laser rifle and I look through the scope to see a lot of Mr. Handys and Protectrons.

I lean over to John who is crouching next to me. "What's going on?"

He talks to me, "Some sort of security subroutine in their system causes them to come out and patrol. And for some reason, they are very hostile towards humans. We tried raising our hands or giving them voice commands. but nothing has worked."

I nod. "is there a way you can just turn them off? There should be a master terminal inside the building that can be used to turn them all off."

He nods, "There is, but even when we're able to get in, the terminal is hardcore encrypted. Without a password, it's going to be impossible to get into the system."

I nod, "Well, for now, let's just focus on the threat in front of us."

Just then, a barrage of laser blasts come from the robots who are now in range. John yells out, "Fire!!"

I start firing at the eyes of the Mr. Handys. They get a bunch of good hits on us. I duck behind cover to reload just as three men are taken out at the stack next to us. 

Before long, the last robot is destroyed and the battle is won.

Brian's POV

I jolt awake to the sound of distant gunshots. I think to myself, "What the hell?" 

A woman comes towards me. "Hey, How are you feeling."

I nod, "Actually, not that bad."

She chuckles and gestures to my knee, "May I take a look?" I nod as she goes to inspect my knee. "It looks like your knee is pretty much fully healed, it's just going to be sore for a while. With a little practice, you should be able to walk, although I wouldn't recommend going out there right now."

I look at her. "Why not?"

She says, "It's just that old fertilizer factory at the end of the road. Now and again, it has security robots come out of it who aren't exactly friendly to people."

I nod, "Do you think they'll need any help?"

She shakes her head. "You don't need that type of action right now. Plus, if they didn't have it handled, there would be more laser fire in the air than live rounds."

I nod, "I suppose you're right."


End file.
